Newbie Advice.... Biorb Hell!

repsolblade

repsolblade

AC Members
Mar 24, 2008
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Wales
www.xsky.co.uk
Hi everyone, looking for some advice here as lfs not very helpful really.
I have a Medium sized Biorb at the moment and have 2 small(2.5 inch)fantail goldfish and a 1.5 inch in length butterfly plec. No matter what I do this tank is a nightmare to run, and I'm at my wits end with it!
After my last Goldfish died (old age)I think.. I'd had him for a while, I decided to add another, and a flec too. I went through the quarantine process as advised and now, after 2 weeks of introduction my original fish has I think got fin-rot. It would appear that the Goldfish I have introduced is a bully, but leaves the flec alone, so I have isolated original and am looking for treatment. Hopefully he will be ok, but I don't want to re-introduce him back into Biorb.
So, following on from that I am thinking of of buying a new tank, and starting a tropical Tank. So any advice on what size(as a beginner) what type of fish I should try, media etc would i be safe with? AND, what do I do about my poorly Goldfish and the other 2 in the Biorb?
I have been told that I can have all three in a tropical tank so long as the temperature is increased gradually, but I'm very wary of doing this as the goldfish are COLD water right?
I'm quite fond of my fish and dont want to give them away, so any advice would be apreciated.
Should I see if my original makes a recovery then re-introduce to biorb and watch out for him or something else perhaps.
Please help:wall:
 
I would say you are on the right track in considering a new tank.

The bioorbs have a number of problems which are very hard to overcome; first is surface area for oxygen exchange; its extremely limited due to the bowl shape; second, its internal filter is pretty poor and not suitable for even one goldy really, which are messy fish; thirdly, the footprint of the tank is very small, and there is very little swimming space, again not really suitable for an active social fish like a goldfish.

I would advise you to consider upgrading to a medium size tank, say 20 or 30 gallons is a nice size to keep some small tropicals in; get a long tank over a tall tank and bigger is better (the more water, the easier it is to keep stable)...if you really think you might be interested in keeping a nice collection of fish though, something like a 55 would be fantastic.

I would then add a heater to the 30 litre bioorb and use it for one nice male betta.

Welcome to AC :)
 
Hi Coler, thanks for that, the more I think about it the more I'm inclined to getter a larger tank. But what do I do with the Fish I've already got?? Suppose I could upgrade them to a larger home too and be done with it. I reall have had enough of the Biorb, Great to look at but so Impractical and pretty damned hard to maintain!
Off to ebay it goes I think..lol
 
not a bad plan - but as I say don't discount the possibility of using it for a really nice little male betta.

the fish you currently have, well, contrary to what you were told, you really shouldn't keep goldies with tropicals, so you're talking about 2 tanks straight away...say for the 2 goldfish alone, it depends on what type. If they are 'fancy' goldfish, you could get away with about 30 gallons I think...I believe common goldfish however require far larger tanks.

a 30 gallon tank is nice for small tropicals, but most people find that it is slightly limiting for the fish they end up wanting to keep...starting with a 55 is a great move.
 
Already on to it, thinking about the biorb, but it is a nightmare to keep, so I have to have 2 tanks, ah well. not he end of the world. think probably a 60 will suffice, not after too much as space could be an issue. The betta a good idea but as I say Biorb too much hassle. really appreciate your advice. ;)
 
Welcome to AC! If you start a thread in the regular forums, you may get more excellent input.
 
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